Hmm. Well it's been a longish break since last I wrote, and it seems too late now to go into much detail about the remaining and by now positively historical exhibitions long long ago. So instead I'll go for something altogether briefer than might otherwise have been the case. Purely in the interest of not leaving this as unfinished business into the new year.

So. Way back then Monday was Bath Contemporary's Walking the Hills, Tuesday was the Society of Wood Engraver's Annual Exhibition, and on Wednesday I visited the Derwent Art Prizefor works created in pencil, at the Trowbridge Arts Centre. All sorts of work, some (I think) executed in more than purely pencil, and a number of them so stunningly executed that it was hard for me to believe pencil had played any part, even though close inspection proved that it had. Apologies that I can't put names to artists - I have a list, but the points of reference stored so securely in my memory have perished.

After that, on Thursday, was the Black SwanOpen 2016 in Frome - packed with goodies all over again. I did think that by now - four exhibitions in four days - I should have been suffering from overkill, but all the shows were different enough from each other that I was just having a great time. My personal favourite was 'The Passage of Landscape. 6.22 Bristol to Lymington' by Jilly Morris (last pic below, and I think there might be a mistake in the name of the piece but I can't find a reference to correct it) but it was impossible to get a good photo of it past the glass. Apologies again for not acknowledging artists - my notes are too brief and too long ago.

My intention to manage five shows in five days - the fifth to be at West Yorkshire Print Workshop on my way home, I think it was their Open exhibition too - was thwarted by common sense. I realised that it wouldn't extend my day by an hour or two but by considerably more plus endless Friday traffic, and thought better of it, though unfortunately it did mean that I missed the exhibition altogether. The fifth exhibition was, instead, south again on a later visit - the Jerwood Drawing Prize at The Edge, Bath University. Yes, more brilliant work. The winning work was 'Singularity' by Solveig Settemsdal - a video of something white and pulsing, changing shape, growing and moving. At first I felt oddly squeamish about it, something so organic in a yikky sort of way (I know, pathetic), but once I read the sign and discovered that it was actually the artist prodding around white ink in gelatine I felt much better (alright, I'm embarrassed, ok). I was already hooked - it was compulsive viewing - and ended up with dozens of stills.

I originally claimed six exhibitions, and while I'm not absolutely sure what the sixth should have been, it could have been the excellent George Tute one at Bath Contemporary. There was something Paul Nash about the paintings - subject matter rather than execution, I kept thinking of Wittenham Clumps - but I was most taken by his enormously complex wood engravings. Here's one, though whether it was from the actual exhibition or the gallery's christmas show I can't now remember.

And that's it, folks. An end to 2016, time for the next year - let's hope it's a good one.

Hi there

I make prints and book arts, though nowhere near as often as I'd like - no good reason, just an inability to get on with things. I occasionally go on about landscape (with which I am mildly obsessed) and various of its elements, and I like to pass comment on exhibitions I visit.